


of love and misunderstandings

by iwritemyownreality



Category: Cursed (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Courting Rituals, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26193820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwritemyownreality/pseuds/iwritemyownreality
Summary: courting gifts are a precious thing to be treasured between loversbasically Lancelot is oblivious and ash folk tradition is weird.
Relationships: Gawain | The Green Knight/The Weeping Monk | Lancelot (Cursed)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 111





	of love and misunderstandings

_A young Lancelot ran through the village, weaving between the small huts and nearly knocking over a few citizens whom luckily only looked back at the child with bemusement . finally reaching his destination the child cheered in glee and jumped into his mothers awaiting arms ._

_The woman bopped his nose lightly_

_‘what’s made you so happy mi pequenõ quierdo ? ‘_

_Lancelot stared up at her with gleaming eyes framed by the wonted marks of his people ._

_‘ Alva courted celeste with a woven crown she said it was so beautiful she almost couldn’t bare to burn it ‘_

_His mother smiled at her babies enthusiasm_

_‘ as it should be , I’m sure the beauty of the crown lives on within the flame‘_

_Lancelot nodded in agreement , it wouldn’t mean much to burn any old thing ._

_‘ mama how do you make the flames ? what I can’t ‘_

_The bright blue eyes gazed lovingly at her only son_

_‘when the time is right , and you meet the right person the flame will come to you I promise ‘_

_She kissed his head and got back to preparing the nights meal ._

_In that moment Lancelot had taken comfort in his mothers words but that didn’t last long._

_in the end the only thing he saw burn was her._

_________________________

The fae were a kind people, a passionate sort of people . men and women, two women , two men , The fae were not one to dwell on such trivial matters yet there were some rules to follow .

Tradition stated that whomever your love falls upon must be shown through a physical token. It varied between clans, A faun would present his lover with an arrow with words of love hidden between the fletching meant only for the eyes of their beloved , a tusk some sort of slayed beast to be skinned and the fur worn through the cold nights of winter and so on . It was an old custom but with so much of their culture being scorched from the earth it was a custom they wanted to cling to , heaven knows what secrets have already slipped through their fingers .

Gawain and Lancelot had been unofficially courting for a while now . He was shy at first but now Gawain’s ash man was perfectly happy to kiss him in the halls and no longer had that moment of panic when he awoke in Gawain’s arms and forgot where he was . He knew he was safe now . That’s why Gawain knew it was time , time to claim his weeping love as his and his alone . Not yet ready for a joining but a symbol that one day they will be , their hearts forever in each others hands.

He gazed at the trinket in his hands it was ritual for sky people to carve a small figurine to represent their love what that depicted varied from creator. a wooden carving of an elk the size of his palm was cradled in the knight’s shaking hand. It took him weeks to finish in between patrols , caring for squirrel , counsel business and of course spending time with the man in question. The green knight had only just finished the varnish that morning . He knew Lancelot returned his affections the man made it clear. However , the routine of the men’s relationship had always been Gawain guiding Lancelot whom was far less experienced as himself .

this time it would be a first for Gawain too and that terrified him.

He found his lover sat within their chambers whittling new arrows for Percival and luckily alone since courting gifts were a private matter reserved for only the eyes of the participants. The knight lingered in the doorway out of nervousness and also to purely admire the gorgeous man before him. When Lancelot noticed the man standing their he sent him a heavenly smile that made Gawain weak at the knees before going back to his task . Taking a deep breath to calm himself , Gawain walked meekly into the room so unused to feeling this kind of childlike anxiety and keeping the figure hidden behind his back. He took a seat beside the other man on the bed and gently placed a hand upon his to stop his movements.

‘ I have a gift for you ‘

Lancelot looked at his green knight with curiosity but still with a kind smile upon his face and put the arrows aside.

Gawain took another deep breath and brought the elk into Lancelot’s eye sight placing it into the other mans hand and waiting apprehensively for his response .

Lancelot gazed at the figure in awe , turning it lightly in his hands as if it was so precious that a single wrong movement would see it shattered before his eyes . Nimble fingers ran across the smooth and expertly crafted antlers and as he turned the statue over to admire it further he noticed something on the creatures underbelly . Engraved in the most precise of ways was a sentence written in old fae .

‘ I will always stand by you ‘

Lancelot muttered the phrase out loud and gawain cradled his lovers hands and kissed them gently albeit carefully as to avoid poking his eye out with the antlers of the gift in which lancelot was still mesmerised .

‘ I swear it ‘

Lancelot finally tore his eyes away from the prize and looked at his knight with glistening eyes . that statement meant so much to him . Gawain had always stood by him , and the ash marked man would always do the same .

Lancelot spoke quietly overwhelmed with emotion but he spoke with love .

‘ thank you , I love it ‘

Gawain preened. overjoyed that Lancelot had reacted in such a way yet the moment only lasted so long as soon they heard their names echoing through the cavern halls . Gawain smiles at his darling .

‘ duty calls ‘

_________________________

Lancelot treasured that little trinket like it was the most precious thing in the world . it sat proudly on his nightstand allowing him to gaze at it on sleepless nights with Gawains strong arms wrapped around him reminding the weeping man of his new found love .

The thing was Lancelot was taken from his home at a young age , he scarcely remembered his own tribes traditions let alone another’s and so remained oblivious to the true meaning of the gift .

Until pym .

The red head had been passing the mens chambers when she noticed Lancelot on his bed reading and something that caught her eye beside him . she walked in and plonked herself beside the man causing him to look up from his book in surprise .

‘you and Gawain are officially courted!? ‘

Lancelot put his book down and looked at her in confusion eliciting a tiresome sigh from the girl as she pointed emphatically at the statue .

‘ that’s a courting gift you know that right ? ‘

Lancelots eyes widened . he had not .

‘ he gave that to me days ago , I have yet to reciprocate . to the hidden ‘

Lancelot started to internally panic . this beautiful man with the largest of hearts allowed him such an honor and the ash man hadn’t even realised .

Pym noted the panicked look on her fae brothers face and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder .

‘ don’t worry , As long as you’re wanting to be courted to Gawain – ‘

Lancelot interrupted swiftly a defensive tone in his voice as if he was offended that pym would so much as question this fact .

‘ of course I am ‘

Pym smiled at the mans protectiveness of his love .

‘okay then all is well , Gawain is a smart man I’m sure he’s aware you don’t remember your own tribes courting traditions . just talk to him. ‘

Pym was just about to get up and leave when Lancelot spoke so softly she almost missed it .

‘ I do remember ‘

Pym was surprised but gathered her self quickly . getting up and giving Lancelot one last smile

‘ what are you waiting for then ? ‘

_________________________

Lancelot found Gawain as he was returning from a small hunting excursion and pulled away with urgency into a secluded part of the forest .

Gawain was caught off guard but allowed his lover to pull him through the trees until they stopped and Lancelot pulled them both down to sit on a cut oak stump . it was then he noticed the man next to him holding the gift he had recently received .

‘ this was a courting gift ?’

Gawain’s heart dropped , he hadn’t considered Lancelot’s ignorance to the entire custom only that he likely lay unaware of his own .

‘ y-yes , i thought you knew ‘

Lancelot shook his head and kissed his lovers cheek .

Then it happened .

Lancelot cradled the gift in his hands , closed his eyes and set it ablaze .

Gawain didn’t even have time to question how the hell Lancelot just created fire from nothing , he was too busy hearing his heart shatter into a million pieces .

Lancelot felt the heat in the palm of his hand . he opened his eyes and looked at Gawain with an almost insane glee , he had been so scared his soul was not whole enough to show his love but here it was . His face fell however when he noticed a tear fall from His lovers eye .

‘ d-did I do it wrong ? I’m so sorry ‘

Gawain’s voice cracked, the flames still dancing between them as he spoke .

‘ wrong ? you set my courting gift ablaze , I thought you reciprocated my feeling yet I appeared to be wrong’

Lancelot blinked as he processed the situation , Gawain was about to get up and leave and it wasn’t until the flames had died out and left only ash that he realised what had happened .

‘ No wait ! it’s what we do , an ash folk thing ‘

Gawain stilled and looked at the man next to him in curiosity

‘ an ash folk thing ?’

Lancelot nodded in affirmation and with a shy smile

‘ I thought you would know , you knew enough to identify me so ….. ‘

He trailed off as Gawain gave a small shake to his head , Lancelot held out his cupped hands still cradling the ash .

‘ let me show you ?’

Gawain complied and placed his own hands upon Lancelot’s so that they were both cradling the remains of his elk together .

Suddenly

Lancelot closed his eyes and just as sudden as before the ash burst into flames , Gawain tried to jerk his hands away

‘ are you crazy ? ‘

Lancelot gripped his hands so he could not withdraw them and shushed him

‘ the flame can’t hurt you… look ‘

His ash man gestured with his head for them both to stare into the flame .

That’s when Gawain saw it , right in the centre . his Elk . alive again within the fire . he was too shocked for words completely in thrall of this unearthly beauty . A slow burn started to creep from his hands where the flame lay to his heart , his soul and his mind . not a painful burn mind , a loving burn like the feeling he felt when him and Lancelot first kissed .

Then he heard it echoing in his mind .

‘ I’ll stand by you ‘

Both his and Lancelot’s voices entertwined and speaking those words that Gawain had so painstakingly carved into the wooden animal , he didn’t know how but somehow he just knew that only he and his beloved could hear them . a tear fell from his eye and sizzled in the fire , a tear of happiness this time .

Lancelot closed the gap between them with a kiss and the flame faded .

Then lancelot blushed and looked down

‘ sorry for burning your gift ‘

Gawain cupped his beloveds face and kissed him once more

‘ I wished you had saved me the heartbreak and informed me of the tradition but you have nothing to be sorry for , you can never know how much it means to me that you can share your culture and that it did not die with your clan . I shall treasure it always ‘

Lancelot smiled back at his lover , both finally content and moved beyond the previous misunderstandings .

‘ the fire will always be with us now , burning as long as our love allows it ‘

One more small kiss from his knight was placed upon his lips

‘ then it shall burn for all eternity ‘

**The end.**


End file.
